Police cost questions abound in West Cocalico

We’ve seen how tricky it can be to do the numbers, especially early on, in covering proposals for both a new records management system and new radios for the Ephrata Police Department over the last couple of months. Now West Cocalico also has to look at a contract for a School Resource Officer (SRO) and how that cost will be shared, ahead of a regional leaders’ meeting planned for later this month.

In a supervisors meeting on Oct. 16, West Cocalico’s board talked about their outlook on the SRO position.

Since dropping a decades-long contract with the East Cocalico Police Department a few years ago and getting services from Ephrata PD, supervisors and residents have expressed satisfaction with their police services. Currently, Ephrata police provide services to Adamstown Borough and West Cocalico Township, in addition to Ephrata Township and Ephrata Borough. Denver Borough still contracts with East Cocalico for police services.

Here’s where the SRO issue gets complicated: although Adamstown and West Cocalico are contracting with Ephrata police, they are still part of the Cocalico School District, along with Denver Borough and East Cocalico Township.

East Cocalico’s police department will provide the SRO, and so the two municipalities that untethered from the department will now be looking at chipping in just for the school resource officer.

West Cocalico board members have some concerns about cost as they go about that seemingly never-ending process of preparing a balanced budget for every year.

“We’re not against it,” said supervisors chair James J. Stoner Tuesday night. “It’s just: how we’re set up to pay for it.”

“We don’t have any problem with an SRO,” echoed township manager Carolyn Hildebrand. “We just want to make sure we’re paying a fair amount.”

Stoner pointed to demographic numbers that stakeholders have in hand as a starting point for cost negotiation.

“That’s one way to set a foundation of what you’re going to charge (each municipality) for it,” Stoner said.

Supervisors acknowledged that costs will also change over time: a $60,000 grant will fund part of the SRO’s salary for three years, with the municipalities making up the difference. After that, partnering customers would split the full cost.

“There are a lot of questions,” Stoner said about cost. “Does (the SRO) need a car? … It can all be civilly talked about. It’s all on the table.”

Hildebrand said she has set up a meeting with Denver Borough Manager Mike Hession and others to discuss the issue prior to the regional leader’s meeting when Adamstown, Denver and East Cocalico will be at the table with West Cocalico to talk about the SRO and other topics.

The regional leaders meeting is planned for Tuesday, Oct. 23 at East Cocalico’s township building.

The Ephrata Review got some clarification on Oct. 17 — Hildebrand confirmed that the $60,000 grant is actually for $60,000 for each of the three years, for a total of $180,000. For example, if the officer’s salary was around $90,000, two thirds of it would be covered by the three-year grant. She also stressed that negotiations are very preliminary. It remains to be seen who will pay for what.

Expect continued discussion about more sharing of police costs as the Cocalico partners move forward to handle the growth of the community.